Railroad-rail joint.



Patented July 29, I902.

C. RHOADES. RRRRRRRRRR lL' JOINT.

oooooooo UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

CICERO RHOADES, OF FREDONIA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLIAM T. STROUD, OF FREDONIA, KANSAS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 705,963, dated July 29, 1902.

Application filed February 1,1902. Serial No. 92,579. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CIOERO Rnonnnsa citizen of the United States, residing at Fredonia, in the county of Wilson and State of Kansas,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Rail Joints,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad-joints;

to produce a simple, effective, and reliable joint, which will dispense with the use of fishplates or other analogous fastening devices now commonly employed.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View showing portions of meeting rails connected at their ends. by the improved joint, which is structurally embodied in part in each rail. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the rail ends embodying a portion of the features of the invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the other rail end, also embodying a portion of the features of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The numerals 1 and 2 designate the opposite terminals or meeting ends of contiguous rails. In, forming the improved joint the usual structure of the rail is employed, and in addition thereto the webs adjacent the ends of the rails are transversely thickened by enlargements 2; but otherwise the said rail ends are of ordinary form and are cut and dressed to produce the features which will now be specifically described.

The terminal or end 1 has a portion of the base-flange 3 and the web 4 transversely cut away to form a longitudinally extending tongue 5, which has an ordinary extent or width precisely equal to the height of the combined web and flange thickness at the center of the rail structure. By the formation of the tongue 5 in the manner set forth shoulders 6 are provided on opposite sides of the point of intersection thereof with the Web 4, and the end portion 7 of the flange on opposite sides of the center are in the same transverse plane as the shoulders 6. The head 8 of the terminal 1 is cut away or scarfed diagonally, as at 9, and as in the usual scarfed constructions shoulders 10 and 11 are formed at opposite terminals intermediate of the diagonal cut portion and at an angle to the latter. The head 8 is cut away far enough back from the point of intersection of the tonge 5 with the web l to clear the upper terminal of the said Web to provide a bearing-table 12.

The terminal 2 has a longitudinal slot 13 formed in the center of the web 14 and flange 15 to provide a socket to receive the tongue 5 of the terminal 1, the portions of the Web 14: forming the opposite walls of the socket. The head 16 of the terminal 2 is projected beyond the end of the web and flange, as at 17, such projection of the head being obtained by transversely cutting away the web and flange below. The projection or extension 17 of the head 16 is also terminally shaped by cutting to produce a corresponding member or portion of the scarfed joint and includes a diagonal cut 18, with shoulders 19 and20 at an angle to the opposite terminals thereof.

In assembling the terminals 1 and 2 the rails corresponding to the same are moved longitudinally, so that the tongue 5 will slip into the slot 13 and cause the projection or extension 17 of the head 16 of the terminal 2 to move over the table 12 to produce an engagement of the diagonal cut portions or scarfs of the heads 8 and 16 and which will be accurately effected when the shoulders 6 ,and ends 7 of the web 4 and flange 3 of the terminal 1 abut against the end portions of the flange 15 and web 14 of the terminal 2. After the said rail-terminals are so connected an elongated joint between the contiguous head portions 8 and 16 of the rail-terminals will result and hammering of the ends of the rails as well as injury to car-wheels and disadvantageons vibrations to car structures will be avoided. Moreover, it will be seen that lateral spreading or outward or inward bulging of rails connected by the improved joint will be avoided, and, furthermore, the use of fish-plates and other analogous securing devices will be dispensed with, and thereby the expense incident to rail laying and securement will not be materially increased in View of the absence of fish-plates and the like,with the additional advantage of having means for preventing the rails from spreading. The present improved form of joint is also advantageous for use on trestle-work or bridges, as the vibration is reduced to a minimum and I the shock and jar arising from such vibraprojected beyond the end of said web and flange, the meeting portions of the rail-heads being scarfed.

2. A railroad-joint comprising rail-terminals, one of which is transversely out through to remove a portion of the head, web and flange to provide a longitudinally-projecting tongue having a vertical extent equal to the combined height of the flange and web at the center, the head being out back from the point of intersection of the tongue with the web and flange, and the other terminal having a 1ongitudinally-extending slot in the Web and flange at the center and the head projected beyond the end of the flange and web to extend over the flange of the adjacent rail-terminal, the ends of the heads having interlocking relation and shaped to form a scarfjoint.

In testimony whereof I afflx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CIOERO RHOADES.

Witnesses:

R. L. ISHAM, O. W. IsHAM, 

